Year in Review

By Adam Swift

The debate over the MBTA 3A Communities Act highlighted a busy year in Winthrop that also saw continued discussions over the fate of a new fire station, the school budget, and flooding issues in town.

In November, the town council voted not to accept the Massachusetts 3A Communities Act compliance plan recommended by the planning board.

Over the past year, the planning board was charged with crafting and recommending a plan to comply with the state law, which aims to increase multi-family housing in MBTA and MBTA-adjacent communities. The town was supposed to have a compliance plan approved by the state by the end of the calendar year, or risk losing out on state grant opportunities.

Opponents of 3A noted that the state should not be forcing zoning mandates on the town, which is already densely populated.

Planning board members noted that the compliance plan crafted by an outside consultant would create overlay districts in several areas of town, as well as ask for credit for the existing Central Business District, and would have a minimal impact at best on development in the town.

During the November vote, Town Council President Jim Letterie said he believed there is very little debate that 3A is a flawed law.

“There are towns that are unique, we like to think of ourselves as unique, and we are to me unique, and there are other towns that I’m sure consider themselves unique for different reasons,” he said. “To me, one of the biggest problems with this is we are being punished for doing this work ahead of time, for being ahead of the curve. We created zoning to add additional units to help our base.”

During 2024, the town also prepared for two ballot votes that are expected to take place in early 2025.

In November of 2023, voters rejected a debt exclusion to fund the construction of a new fire station at the site of the Wadsworth Building and former Kirby Funeral Home.

Over the past year, the town council and administration worked on plans to bring another proposal before voters to replace the town’s two aging fire stations.

After narrowing the site selection down to the town basketball courts on Walden Street and the old middle school, the council voted to move forward with the Walden Street site, citing the lower cost of the proposal, estimated at about $35.5 million.

A survey of residents showed slightly more support for the old middle school option, but Letterie said he believed some of that was fueled by a lack of development of the site over the past nearly eight years. Letterie said the council will be taking up options for the potential development of the old middle school in the new year.

The other big vote slated to come before the town in early 2025 is a school budget Proposition 2-½ override.

In November, voters rejected a $4.95 million override that would have helped fund expected budget shortfalls in the Fiscal Year 2026 budget, as well as fund an education stabilization account to help cover school costs for several years beyond that.

Following the November vote, the school committee and administration got to work on bringing a proposal back before the town.

The committee’s finance subcommittee recommended going back to voters with the $4.95 million amount, but some committee members cautioned against going back with the same amount that was recently defeated and recommended a lower amount.

In December, the town council approved the school committee’s ultimate recommendation to place a tiered question on the ballot, where voters can choose either a $4.95 million override, a $3.5 million override, both, or neither amount.

If both override amounts are successful, the higher amount would prevail.

Letterie and Superintendent of Schools Lisa Howard both noted that if the override does not pass in early 2025, the schools will be faced with potential staff cuts and larger class sizes. They have stated that it would also impact all town departments, as the town would have to try to cover some of the expected school budget shortfalls.

At the end of May, 141 students graduated as part of Winthrop High School’s Class of 2024. Samantha DiMento was the class Valedictorian and John Tracy was the Salutatorian.

In October, tributes poured in from the schools, the town, and beyond for former Winthrop High football coach Bob DeFelice, who died at the age of 82. In addition to his role in Winthrop, DeFelice was a key figure at Bentley University where he served as the long-time baseball coach and athletic director.

While there was no municipal election in 2024, the town council did welcome one new member. In May, the council selected Pat Costigan to represent Precinct 1. Costigan will serve out the remainder of Richard Fucillo’s term. Fucillo stepped down from office to move to another community.

Locally in the state election in 2024, incumbent Democratic State Representative Jeff Turco was returned to office, as was incumbent Democratic State Senator Lydia Edwards.

The year also saw new leadership in the police department, as former chief Terrence Delehanty retired and Deputy Chief John Goodwin was appointed the town’s new chief by Town Manager Tony Marino.

The town also got its first assistant town manager in 2024, as Marino selected Cheryl McCormick for that position. McCormick will help oversee much of the planning and development work done by former town planner Rachel Kelly, as well as provide assistance with grants.

In November, former Winthrop Police Lt. James Feeley pleaded guilty to rape and abuse of a child and sentenced to four to six years in prison followed by probation.